Are you a creative person? Do you struggle with finding your inner creative spirit? Sit there staring at the blank canvas or journal page wondering what you'll work on next? This series is something new to me where I'll share what I'm working on this week. I feel like my creative spirit is ALL.OVER.THE.PLACE and I'm always trying something new each week. That doesn't have to be a bad thing because it's broadening your inner creativity. This week I've been working on Funky Florals. One of my favorite Instagram creatives to follow is Megan (@MakeWells) and her awesome Funky Florals. I love the bright colors and the use of mixed media in her work. I love that she works on canvas, paper, wood, walls, and more! She is seriously inspiring to follow. View this post on Instagram I’m thoroughly convinced that I will never run out of ways to paint flowers. The possibilities are just endless people! I may have a ... [ Read More ]
Give the Gift of Awesome Photos
I am a "Picture Play" affiliate and earn a commission when you order through my links in this post. Have you ever wanted to take better pictures with your iPhone or Android? Did you know that there are a few free or low cost (like less than $5) apps that can make your regular iPhone pictures 10X better? It's possible with some of the tips that Jill from Baby Rabies (and Happy Loud Life) shares in her new Picture Play ebook. I have a fancy DSLR that I bought a few years ago and kinda learned how to use, but it's so big and bulky that I never take it with me. I'm really happy with the overall quality of photos from my iPhone 8+ but it doesn't always take perfect photos. Sometimes they are too dark, or too light, or there are things in the background that are distracting. This is one of the photos I took a few years ago with my DSLR. It showed up in my memories this week so I thought I'd try to edit it again using the tricks in Picture Play. Look closely behind her head, in the ... [ Read More ]
Under the Sea Coloring Pages
Color with me!! I've created a new set of coloring pages full of some of my favorite sea life characters. This is a set that I've been working on for months and I'm so excited about how it turned out!! PS: The whale sharks are my absolute favorite. The set includes 7 different pages that you can print from home on 8.5" x 11" paper. The great thing is that you can print the files over and over again anytime you like! Do you enjoy coloring? Do your kids? Do you color in your classroom or when you have spare time in clubs? I use these mostly in the evenings when I want to force myself to put my phone down and do something creative with my kids. My daughter is my little artist and loves to color and create so it's the perfect activity for the two of us. We don't get many evenings when we're not bombarded with homework, sports, or clubs. Here's a sample of the pages that you'll get in the download: ... [ Read More ]
FREE Sweet & Sassy Holiday Gift Tags (Printable)
Are you sweet? or are you Sassy? Either way, I've created some fun gift tags that coordinate with my newest planner download. Introducing a FREE printable download; the Sweet & Sassy Gift Tags. While some of the sayings are seasonal; some can be used all year long! The gift tag file is a PDF file that prints 8.5" x 11" in size. The page has all 8 of the gift tags; each one measuring 3.75" tall x 2 1/4" wide with rounded corners. You can print them on copy paper, card stock, or even directly to sticker paper! While I cut mine with a small paper cutter, you could easily cut them using your Cricut or Silhouette machines. I'll use a standard (or larger) hole punch for the circle when I'm ready to add them to my packages. How do you plan on using yours? I'd love to see pictures of them in use, be sure to tag @BackToCalley #Printables when you post on social media so that I can see them!! To download your free copy, please sign up for my email newsletter list below: Note: ... [ Read More ]
2019 Planner | Printable or Digital Versions Available
I did a thing!! I created a 2019 printable and digital planner!! You can find this planner in my Etsy shop as a digital download! Where did 2018 go? I cannot believe we're almost halfway through December and 2019 is just around the corner. I was organizing my desk this weekend and realized that I needed a new 2019 planner. This year I've placed with several different planner options and found a few that are really helpful. I'm not a big spender when it comes to planners and can't stomach a $30-40 planner (or more with all the extra options and accessories). They are incredibly beautiful but I fear that I wouldn't use them enough or the right way. Sure there's no "wrong way" to use a planner, but it would likely get set aside and forgotten after a few months. What has worked for me? iPhone Calendar Apps For important events, appointments, and scheduling I still rely heavily on my native iPhone and Google calendar apps. I can sync them together and share them with other ... [ Read More ]
What Are You Thankful For?
How is it that Thanksgiving is NEXT week? This year is flying by so quickly that I can hardly keep up. My kids just keep growing, life keeps moving, and our schedules keep getting crazier and crazier! If you don't follow me on Instagram you may have missed a few of the recent things going on our in our lives. Like.... My daughter is a Junior Girl Scout this year and is really blossoming into a wonderful leader. My son is 15, learning to drive, got his first job, and opened his first bank account. My latest doodles and designs; like the one shown above!! It's hard for me to get excited about Thanksgiving; which really isn't any different from any other year. This is the most hectic time of year for our family and for my job. We host a huge Black Friday weekend sale and it's very time consuming and exhausting to plan; however it's a great reward when the weekend arrives and our customers flock to our store looking for deals!! My "work day" on Black Friday actually starts ... [ Read More ]
Sprouts Grocery Haul | Organic & Natural Farmers Market
This post is a paid sponsorship with Sprouts Farmers Market. If you follow me on Instagram (@BackToCalley) you may have noticed that we toured our local Sprouts grocery store last week for a blogger/influencer event. We were guided by a dietitian, Abigail Dougherty, who talked about some of the plant-based options that are offered at Sprouts. My daughter tagged along on the tour and we both got to sample a variety of plant-based foods, drinks and desserts. As part of the campaign we received a gift card to come back and shop with so I thought it would be fun to show you what we brought home. With this weeks meal plan I am trying to incorporate some more fall veggies with a little more variety than our boring broccoli and green beans! Link to YouTube video embedded above: https://youtu.be/fmaJ9MXTiDU Funny side story, after I filmed the video I realized that I was missing an entire bag of groceries. Of course it was the bag with the receipt in it so I didn't even ... [ Read More ]
Creating Layers with Tombow Pens & Markers
These Tombow pens are just too much fun. The colors are so vibrant and I keep reaching for them in the evenings when we're drawing. Today I'm going to share with you my process for applying layers with the markers to achieve depth with only a few colors. I only have ten dual brush pens and twelve twin tone markers so my color palette is pretty limited. Applying layers helps me blend and create more colors. Supplies: For this project I used marker paper, Tombow dual brush pens, Tombow TwinTones and the Tombow Mono pencil. You can find all of these in my Amazon shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/backtocalley (referral link) I found this picture on Pinterest as my inspiration (sorry the source is unknown, the pin leads me to nowhere). I loved the colors and the texture of the sea urchins. I started with a pencil sketch on marker paper with the Tombow Mono pencil and then outlined the shapes with the dual brush pens or twin tones. They both have one tip that is very similar in size ... [ Read More ]
Writing on Painted Rocks – My Favorite Markers
Affiliate links are present in this post. In the past I've usually stayed with paint pens on painted rocks but when I'm writing inspirational quotes I actually prefer markers. I've tested several different brands and styles but I'm in love with how the Tombow markers worked on painted rocks. I've been collecting and testing out the different Tombow markers for doodling and hand lettering this summer; but decided it was time to give them a try on rocks!! I love the bright colors and fine points that you can find in their different markers. All of these were on top of rocks that had been painted with acrylic paint and sprayed with a crystal clear enamel. "You are ENOUGH!" was one of the quotes in the 30 Days of Quotes painted rock challenge. I used their Mono Twin permanent black marker on this one. It has two tips; one fine and one broad. I used the broad tip on this rock. It's a really deep black ink and doesn't smear at all. If you just need a black color this is my ... [ Read More ]
30 Days of Quotes – A Painted Rock Challenge
I've heard from so many of you that you absolutely love the monthly challenges and since I didn't do a "monthly" challenge for August I wanted to surprise you with a new challenge for September! This month, you'll be challenged to paint (write or draw) inspiring quotes on your rocks! I've added 30 of my favorite and most inspiring quotes to the list. There's no order in which you need to complete these; but feel free to start at the top and work your way through the list. Have another favorite quote? Feel free to add to the list of ideas! 30 Days of Quotes You are enough! Smile! BElieve THere is GOOD in the world Dare to be different Spread kindness Joy Be Thankful Love You’ve got this You are strong I good friend is a treasure Just be you Just breathe Dream Big Be Awesome Today You can Be a Warrior The best is yet to come Don’t give up Collect beautiful moments Wake up and be awesome Everything is a choice ... [ Read More ]
